comparing and contrasting Mother Tongue verus `Coming Home Again

Remembering Mothers

Every mother is a significant influence in her child 's life , whether it be through her presence or absence . Especially in immigrant cultures in the United States , particularly the Asians , mothers serve as the source of emotional support when the family is experiencing the turbulence of settling in a foreign soil . In both Amy Tan and Chang-Rae Lee 's essays readers already get a sense of the intimate bond these two shared with their mothers , albeit in different ways since the former is a daughter , the latter a son . Because of

this difference , readers glimpsed how a son may show his love to his mother from a daughter , and what each child 's relationship with his /her mother imply since in Asian cultures sex strongly defines roles

In some aspects , Tan and Lee shared the same problems being second-generation immigrants in the United States . They faced the same language barrier , and felt some confusion with the language that they used at home and outside home . Their ability to speak English made them believe they were better than their mothers who had problems mastering the foreign language . Both of them share that at some point , they regarded their mothers as inadequate because their inadequacy with using English made it difficult for them to complete simple tasks like calling up the bank or the stockbroker

Tan 's relationship with her mother has been symbiotic at an early age while Lee took care of his mother only after when he was fully grown and he learned of her illness

In Tan , the father was absent , whereas in Lee his father played a role in their family dynamics . The absence of Tan 's father in her family strengthened her relationship with her mother because her mother was the one who looked after the family and who fulfilled the traditional duties of the father . Thus , Tan 's mother relied on her on tasks such as settling issues with the doctor and with the broker , especially when language becomes a problem . On the other hand , Lee was raised by his mother to emulate his father and to see him almost as god-like . In this setting , the men were prioritized over the women . Lee described that his mother made an effort to build up his father to him . Also , Lee 's mother spoiled him and could not even hurt him even when he had disrespected her , because to her he was her most prized gift . Because of this , Lee saw his mother as inferior , and his father superior . He was astounded when he learned that his mother has a rich history , that it was she who could play basketball and not his father . She was more than just cooking and doing household chores , apparently there was a lot that Lee did not know about his mother . Always , his mother showed that it was the father or the son that mattered , drawing the attention away from her